Wildridge Education's ‘A Bigger World^™’ earns two EDDIE awards

Newark, Vt. (August 8, 2001) – Wildridge Education, a division of Wildridge Software, Inc., today announced that its A Bigger World interdisciplinary curriculum earned the "Education Software Review Award – High School Thematic" during the 6th Annual Education Software Review Awards (EDDIE) program, sponsored by ComputED Learning Lab.

The first two units in A Bigger World, Math & Music and Math & The Cosmos, previously named Stars and Stories, were both honored as innovative and content-rich programs to supplement high-school classroom curriculum.

"The EDDIE awards validate the rich content of A Bigger World," said Lawrence Bangs, president of Wildridge Education. "More than 90 percent of students who have used this curriculum have successfully completed college. Winning this award will allow us to expose A Bigger World to a broader audience of educators who want to challenge their students with interesting and engaging learning experiences."

About ComputED Learning Lab and the EDDIE awards
ComputED’s staff and directors are educators who provide the finest computer education for children and adults in the San Diego area. In-service training is offered to classroom teachers and school districts on how to implement technology in the classroom and select appropriate educational software.

The EDDIE awards recognize innovative and content-rich programs that are appropriate for use by educators to augment the classroom curriculum and to improve teacher productivity. Selection is based on academic content, potential for broad classroom use, technical merit, subject approach, and quality of management system. Winners are selected from titles submitted by publishers from around the world. All winning titles are made available to school districts, teachers, and the public through ComputED’s Educational Software Preview Service. For more information, visit http://www.computed.com.

About ‘A Bigger World’
A Bigger World, designed for middle and high school students, is a challenging interdisciplinary curriculum with multiple subjects seamlessly integrated around a period of history. The study of history is interwoven with literature, art, music, grammar, science and mathematics to help students understand the interrelated nature of our world and to learn how these subjects have been viewed throughout time.

Math & Music is a stand-alone unit within A Bigger World. It emphasizes the practical value of fundamental math skills by relating these skills to the basic elements of music. Several interactive, self-paced tutorials explore the musical scale in relation to ratios, harmony and the physics of a vibrating string. The program involves a challenging mix of readings, multimedia exercises, hands-on experiments, Internet investigations, and written assignments to help students understand the physics of sound and how we hear. Math & Music also includes numerous print resources, an illustrated student text, math workbook, student guide with assignments, and a detailed teacher's guide with answers and suggestions.

This is not the first recognition for the Math & Music unit, which earned the "Best Educational Software Award – High School Thematic" during the 7th Annual Best Educational Software Awards (BESSIE) also sponsored by ComputED Learning Lab. The BESSIE awards provide parents and teachers with a guide to the best children's educational software and websites available in the market today.

Math & Music was also a 2001 CODIE Award finalist. Sponsored by the Software & Information Industry Association, the annual CODIE competition honors the best products and services the digital economy has to offer.

Previously known as Stars & Stories, Math & The Cosmos is a second unit within A Bigger World. It integrates astronomy, mathematics, physic, history, and Greek mythology. Readings, multimedia, web links, investigations, and challenge tests all contribute to a rich learning experience. The Math & The Cosmos CD-ROM also includes extensive print resources – a complete textbook, student guide, teacher guide and classic literature.

About Wildridge Education
Founded by Lawrence and Joan Bangs, Wildridge Education, a division of Wildridge Software, Inc. is located in Newark, Vt. The company develops and markets educational software for middle and high school students. When completed, A Bigger World will comprise a six-year curriculum series of multidisciplinary standalone units that can be combined to form an entire year of study. The curriculum was written by Lawrence Bangs and refined over 25 years of use at Wildridge Academy, a private school in Vermont, where he has been headmaster since 1971. The mission of Wildridge is to provide teachers and other educators with the highest quality, most effective and engaging products to stimulate learning and to encourage life-long achievement. The products meet national curriculum standards while providing enrichment.

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